John Denver

Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (31 December 1943-12 October 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American folk singer-songwriter and humanitarian activist. Born in Roswell, New Mexico, he was a military brat, travelling around with his family during his youth. During the late 1960s, he became a member of folk music groups, becoming one of the most popular acoustic artists of the 1970s. He became famous for his signature songs "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Annie's Song", "Rocky Mountain High", "Calypso", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", and "Sunshine on My Shoulders". His music expressed his joy in nature, his disdain for city life, his enthusiasm for music, and his relationship trials. He also lent vocal support to space exploration and protested against the censorship of music in front of the US Congress.

Denver was a prominent Democrat, campaigning for Jimmy Carter in 1976 and criticizing Ronald Reagan's conservative policies during the 1980s. He co-founded the pro-sustainable living Windstar Foundation in 1976 and The Hunger Project in 1977, and he devoted much of his life to humanitarian causes. An avid pilot, he died in a crash while flying his experimental Rutan Long-EZ canard aircraft over Monterey Bay, California.